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V O L . X X I X N O. X I I I J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 2 3 20 L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E F O C U S Not taken for granted e presence at the groundbreaking of Maine's two U.S. senators and the governor was evidence of the company's importance to the Pine Tree State. Nearly everyone at the event, from workers to elected officials to local busi- ness people in attendance, wore their New Balance shoes. King wore gray, well-worn New Balance sneakers. e governor, who wore white New Balance sneakers, said in her remarks that she proudly wore her New Balance shoes last fall while making campaign stops, from ice cream shops to hairdressers. Collins told a funny story about trying to find a distinctive gift for her husband Tom on their first anniversary. She called Raye Wentworth, New Balance's direc- tor of domestic manufacturing, who rec- ommended that the senator get a custom pair of shoes, which she did. "He liked them enough he took a pic- ture of them," Collins said in her remarks, adding that their 11th anniversary was coming up. "After this, I'm heading to the factory store [across the street]. I know, I should pay full price." Pressing the case for 'U.S.-made' New Balance's pride in having "U.S.- made" goods goes beyond marketing. In his remarks at the groundbreaking, King recalled the battle over the Berry Amendment, which stipulates that the U.S. Department of Defense buys U.S.-made products to clothe military personnel. For years, it was well-known that soldiers were dressed head to ankle in U.S.-made apparel, but because most shoe manufacturers were making prod- ucts overseas, footwear was a commonly overlooked item. e Berry Amendment dates to 1941, and has been revised over the years. It was Collins and King that pressed the military to buy U.S.-made shoes. In 2016, a provision was added to the National Defense Authorization Act that required the Department of Defense to comply with the Berry Amendment "by providing initial entry service members with American-made athletic shoes upon arrival at basic train- ing," King's office said at the time. "is amendment is a huge victory for the hardworking men and women in Skowhegan, Norridgewock, and Norway who have worked day in and day out to make some of the best, high- est-quality athletic shoes available," King said in 2016. "Our government should be doing all it can to advance policies that support them — not ship their jobs overseas." A VP of public affairs at New Balance said at the time it was a "monu- mental victory for New Balance and for Maine … At the end of the day, this will mean jobs for Maine people." At the groundbreaking, King reflected on that 2016 victory. King, an indepen- dent, went toe-to-toe with the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a veteran and senior member of the Senate. "John McCain hated the Berry Amendment," King recalled in his remarks in Skowhegan. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Purchase a group subscription for your team or entire organization. Get access to Mainebiz for your entire team EMAIL CIRCULATION@MAINEBIZ.BIZ FOR MORE INFORMATION Running shoes were the theme of the day at the New Balance groundbreaking. Clockwise from top left: U.S. Sen. Angus King in gray NB sneakers (and holding ceremonial groundbreaking shovel), Gov. Janet Mills in her white NB "campaign" sneakers, cookies baked by the Bankery, workers in attendance at the ground- breaking ceremony in Skowhegan. P H O T O S / P E T E R VA N A L L E N American manufacturing is important. American jobs are important … You can't make an American economy taking in people's laundry. — U.S. Sen. Angus King

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